Hidden gem makes ‘Waves’
Kelly Mcmichael’s debut album a set of fearlessly fun, classic songs, friends and collaborators say
The secret of Kelly Mcmichael’s musical prowess has finally tripped out of the shadows with the release of her new album, “Waves,” Reg Vermue says.
“I’m just so excited that more of the world is going to get the chance to hear her. She’s like this hidden gem in Canada, or like a secret for those of us who knew,” Vermue said about his former bandmate, whose solo debut album came out Thursday.
For years, Mcmichael played keyboard and sang with Vermue in a band called Gentleman Reg.
“She auditioned and she blew us all away. It was pretty immediate. … I didn’t know her at all, (but) not only is she a fantastic keyboard player … she’s also this phenomenal singer,” said Vermue, who now performs original dance music under the drag persona Regina Gently.
“I just remember thinking, oh my God, she is going to get snapped up by some bigger singer/songwriter like Kathleen Edwards or Sarah Harmer, or someone (like) Ron Sexsmith is going to snatch her away. Lucky for me, that didn’t happen right away. She played with me for years and years,” Vermue said.
Along the way, Mcmichael had been crafting her own style of rock ‘n’ roll, with forays into electronic dance and pop music.
But burned out by the grind of booking tours and trying to get people to listen, only to play to a handful of people, she was unsure where her future lay.
“At that time, (I) had almost given up on trying to do … my own music as a priority or as a career. So, I was just on the side, supporting other people, playing when I could, thinking about what kind of a real job I should have to support myself,” Mcmichael said.
After co-producing a record with Jake Nicoll for singer/ songwriter Joanna Barker, the internal livewire she needed to record her own music suddenly sparked again. And it seemed like St. John’s, where she lives, wanted to hear her, too.
CHANGE OF PLANS
In 2019, Mcmichael, Nicoll and Sarah Harris laid down the first tracks for what would become “Waves.” Mcmichael and Nicoll were scheduled to embark on separate tours, Mcmichael playing with Sarah Harmer and Nicoll with The Burning Hell.
As the spread of COVID-19 began, both found themselves stranded in Ontario, with Mcmichael moving in with her parents in Peterborough and Nicoll moving onto his father’s property just outside Kitchener.
Thankfully, Nicoll had some of his recording gear with him when he found himself in quarantine. And Maria Peddle, who plays violin and sings on the album, shipped up some extra gear as well. This allowed Nicoll to start mixing the album at his small cabin by a pond in the woods, in what he describes as an “oasis in the middle of a bunch of farmlands.”
“Oh, there’s some geese flying by. Hello geese,” Nicoll said partway through his telephone conversation with The Telegram.
AN INVENTOR IN THE COUNTRY
Mcmichael knew she wanted a warm, retro sound, and she and Nicoll had fun thinking about tones and effects for the record.
“Jake’s almost like an inventor in a way. He has all this old gear that he’s taking apart and putting back together and experimenting, like, ‘What if we record this at the same time as this and mash them?’” Mcmichael said.
Mcmichael is a musical chameleon, Nicoll said, and they were trying to keep an eye on how to make the album consistent.
“(But) we kind of let it happen,” he said. “Because I was mixing it around here, I had a different set of tools around. … This summer (I) was getting into building fancy boutique compressors. I was using some stuff like that, some homemade machinery.”
Between building chicken coops, landscaping and tinkering with old tractors, Nicoll mixed the record, with Mcmichael providing feedback from afar.
It was a process that was both fun and informative, he said, and Mcmichael’s sound is at once familiar and original.
“Kelly’s spirit is … not afraid to show itself. She’s not afraid to put on a one-piece jumpsuit and get in front of an audience and pretend to be Michael Jackson. … She can own the stage,” Nicoll said.
“It shows through in her songwriting, too. She’s happy to just go for it. Not that there aren’t some sensitive moments on this album. There was generally a spirit of fun and hilarity throughout. I think even the horse picture on the cover emphasizes that.”
There isn’t a release show booked yet, but Mcmichael looks forward to getting the band back together, hopefully in the summer.
“I’m hoping to play rock ‘n’ roll with a band again. I love that I get to play solo shows here, because I mean, that’s not happening in Ontario, but I just miss bands. I miss bands big time,” she said.
“Waves” is available for purchase on CD at Fred’s Records in St. John’s and digitally through Mcmichael’s Bandcamp page. A vinyl release will come out at a later date.
“I’m hoping to play rock ‘n’ roll with a band again. I love that I get to play solo shows here, because I mean, that’s not happening in Ontario, but I just miss bands. I miss bands big time.” Kelly Mcmichael